Research to Action

The Global Guide to Research Impact

Navigation

  • Home

  • How To ▾

    This list of how to’s provides an essential guide for a number of key communication and engagement activities that will help make your research travel.

    • Building Capacity
    • Policy Briefs
    • Research Impact
    • Theory of Change
    • Uptake Strategy
  • Topics ▾

    • Eye on 2022
    • Impact Practitioners ▸
      • Impact Practitioners
    • Knowing your audience ▸
      • Building a strategy
      • Engaging policy audiences ▸
        • EBPDN
        • Targeting policy actors
        • Targeting practitioners
      • Stakeholder mapping
      • Strategic communication ▸
        • Building a brand
        • Engaging the public
      • Working with the media
    • Making your research accessible ▸
      • Framing challenges
      • Knowledge translation
      • Learning in context
      • Open access
      • Presenting your research
      • Using digital tools ▸
        • Using multi media
        • Using online tools/ICTs
        • Using social media
      • Using intermediaries
    • Monitoring and evaluation ▸
      • Applying M&E methods
      • Evidence into policy
      • Measuring success
    • Uncategorized
  • Dialogue Spaces ▾

    • GDN: Doing Research
    • Manchester Policy Week 2015
    • TTI Exchange 2015
    • Strengthening Institutions to Improve Public Expenditure Accountability (GDN PEM Project)
    • DFID/AusAid Research Communication and Uptake Workshop
    • 3ie Policy Influence and Monitoring (PIM) project
    • Policy Engagement and Communications (PEC) Programme
  • Reading Lists

  • Impact Practitioners

    • Impact Practitioners overview
    • Capacity Building
    • Communication and Engagement
    • Frameworks
    • Indicators
    • Learning
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
    • Policy Impact
    • Strategy
    • Theoretical
    • Utilisation

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Vimeo

Featured

Evidence and Engagement: The balancing act of the Policy Brief

By Laurie Huggett 15/08/2012

In the research undertaken by RAPID in 2008, findings revealed that most policymakers only spend up to 60 minutes reading information on a particular issue. Effectively communicating evidence within such a stringent time limit is the challenge which researchers face when constructing a policy brief.

But how can specialist research findings be translated for the non-specialist audience while being both informative and engaging?

This is the issue which so often confuses the process of research to policy communication. A policy brief is written for a decision maker. It must convey a clear message which can be easily understood in the clamour of competing influences and demands. It must be designed for the specifications of the audience context- taking into consideration cultural, experiential and traditional factors as well as existing lobbyists and advocacy groups active in the field. Effective policy making demands an engagement with all the interwoven influences criss-crossing the field of development.

Focused clearly on one issue, as a general rule policy briefs should be no more than 1500 words (2-4 pages in length). Therefore, to get your message across succinctly, careful planning is required.

Before writing begins there are three questions to ask:

  1. Who is the brief for?
  2. What is the existing demand?
  3. How knowledgeable are the readers on the subject?

Who is the Brief for?

  • Consider the policy context surrounding the research.
  • Consider the position of your audience within a national and sub-national framework
  • Evaluate the needs of the target audience- are social policies prioritised over economic ones?
  • Consider existing policy processes and link your information to them
  • Ensure that recommendations are actionable- outline clear steps to feasible implementation

What is the existing demand?

  • Highlight other organisations working in this area
  • Consider the degree of urgency- are persuasive methods necessary?
  • Outline the benefits to areas non-related to your field of research, i.e. Economic Output of local area, improved housing, increased tourism.
  • If there is no existing demand- consider how to engage readers

How knowledgeable are the readers?

  • Ensure you outline your argument in accessible language at the beginning of the brief- this way readers are more able to understand the context of the evidence
  • Use clear and accessible language (non-specialist)
  • Use visual aids to highlight key issues, i.e. text boxes to highlight key recommendations, graphics to clearly illustrate research findings and potential outcomes
  • Structure the brief so that readers can follow a line of argument- outline case studies, methodology, evidence and conclusions leading to policy recommendations

Essentially the success of the Policy Brief relies on anticipating the response of the reader. By breaking down reader response into stages, attention can be given to each, so that the brief has the best possible chance of not just being picked up, but being read and understood, and, hopefully, acted upon.

  1. “What is this?”

Policy makers look for legitimacy in research. Ensuring the policy briefs have a house style and that the masthead is clearly identifiable as belonging to your organisation highlights the source of the brief, and the precedent of the research.

  1. “Looks interesting…”

In a pile of documents each with pressing demands, a policy brief could easily be overlooked if it is dull in appearance. Making the brief visually engaging means the reader is more likely to pick it up.

  1. “Why should I read it?”

It’s in their hand but does the information apply to them? An engaging title, a question perhaps, highlighting the necessity for the brief, provides the reader with a “hook”, the question they now need answering.

  1. “I haven’t really got the time…”

With the average policy maker only spending between 30 and 60 minutes reading them, policy briefs need to convey their message quickly and concisely. Providing an executive summary as well as a condensed list of key recommendations on the initial page means that even if the reader does not get any further they will have understood the core of your message.

  1. “How have they come to those conclusions?”

The reader is not a specialist in this field- evidence alone does not scream out the answers. Presenting the research findings in an accessible format with evidence-informed opinions means the reader will understand the argument and the line of reasoning behind each recommendation.

Related posts

EBPDN: Refreshing recommended resources - 31/10/2019
Building momentum to advance citizen evidence in policymaking - 03/09/2019
Bringing researchers and knowledge brokers together for greater impact - 29/05/2019

Get 'New Post' e-alerts and follow R2A

> > > > >

Contribute to R2A:
We welcome blogposts, news about jobs, events or funding, and recommendations for great resources about development communications and research uptake.

Topics: policy briefs

Laurie Huggett

Laurie is a senior associate at CommsConsult, a global development communication consultancy. She believes that good communication has to be the basis for all positive change. Experienced in producing editorial and digital content for global development organisations as well as designing and running websites, implementing advertising campaigns and writing press releases for national and international media, Laurie understands the benefits of a well-designed communication strategy. This awareness forms a useful backdrop to her real passion for research and writing.

Contribute Write a blog post, post a job or event, recommend a resource

Partner with Us Are you an institution looking to increase your impact?

Tweets by @Research2Action

Most Recent Posts

  • Designing research uptake strategy: four areas to consider
  • Join the AEN Podcast Party!
  • Senior Associate – Communications and Engagement: Healthy Brains Global Initiative – Deadline 2nd June
  • Evaluating impact from research
  • Powered by Evidence podcast by GEI

This Week's Most Read

  • What do we mean by ‘impact’?
  • How to write actionable policy recommendations
  • 12ft Ladder: Making research accessible
  • Policymaker, policy maker, or policy-maker?
  • Gap analysis for literature reviews and advancing useful knowledge
  • Outcome Mapping: A Basic Introduction
  • Stakeholder Engagement a Tool to Measure Public Policy
  •  How to develop input, activity, output, outcome and impact indicators 
  • Evaluating impact from research
  • Synthetic literature reviews: An introduction

About Us

Research To Action (R2A) is a learning platform for anyone interested in maximising the impact of research and capturing evidence of impact.

The site publishes practical resources on a range of topics including research uptake, communications, policy influence and monitoring and evaluation. It captures the experiences of practitioners and researchers working on these topics and facilitates conversations between this global community through a range of social media platforms.

R2A is produced by a small editorial team, led by CommsConsult. We welcome suggestions for and contributions to the site.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Cookies
  • Contribute

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Our contributors

  • Paula Fray
  • Shubha Jayaram
  • Sue Martin
  • Maria Balarin
  • James Harvey
  • Emily Hayter
  • Susan Koshy
  • Ronald Munatsi
  • Ajoy Datta

Browse all authors

Friends and partners

  • AuthorAid
  • Global Development Network (GDN)
  • INASP
  • Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
  • International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
  • ODI RAPID
  • On Think Tanks
  • Politics & Ideas
  • Research for Development (R4D)
  • Research Impact

Copyright © 2023 Research to Action. All rights reserved. Log in